ʻŌmaʻokāmau and his traveling companions set out on their return voyage, and when the evening was upon them, their canoes landed at Waipiʻo, where the Aliʻi, [ʻUmi], was living. All eyes were on ʻŌmaʻokāmau, carefully watching on as the news was heard. When ʻŌmaʻokamau arrived before the Aliʻi, he relayed to the Aliʻi the news from Maui—that which Piʻikea had shared with him. When ʻŌmaʻokāmau had finished explaining about his visit to Maui, and about the words of aloha from Piʻikea—ʻUmi’s soon-to-be wahine—ʻUmi was very pleased. He then inquired of ʻŌmaʻokāmau, “What is that Aliʻi wahine (chiefly woman) like? Is she perhaps a very beautiful Aliʻi wahine?” ʻŌmaʻokāmau nodded, “Yes, she is indeed a very beautiful Aliʻi wahine. There is no other wahine like Piʻikea here in Hawaiʻi. She is a young woman with beautiful features, from the piko of her head to the bottom of her feet.”

With this news, the Aliʻi kāne (chiefly man), [ʻUmi], rejoiced, and all of his people prepared food for two anahulu [ten-day periods] (similar to two weeks). Just as the Aliʻi wahine, [Piʻikea], had stated to ʻŌmaʻokāmau, after two anahulu the Aliʻi wahine would sail to Hawaiʻi. Thus, an abundance of food was prepared before the Aliʻi’s eyes.

During those two anahulu after ʻŌmaʻokāmau had returned to Hawiaʻi, Piʻilani made all the necessary preparations of beautiful adornments for his daughter. When the two anahulu had passed, Piʻikea sailed for Hawaiʻi accompanied by a fleet of canoes amounting to one lau, or approximately 400 canoes. While the canoes were still out at sea in the ʻAlenuihāhā, those on land at Waipiʻo could see the red of the canoes on the ocean, and by this sign they knew that it was indeed the Aliʻi wahine. The Aliʻi kāne, [ʻUmi], had completed all of his preparations and was pleased as he was well-furnished with provisions of fine quality.

As Piʻikea neared landing at Waipiʻo, the heavens became completely covered over with dark rain clouds, and a rainbow immediately appeared. It stood like a mahiʻole [feathered royal helmet] directly above the Aliʻi Wahine, extending from the front of the Aliʻi Wahine’s canoe to the back of her fleet of canoes. When the canoe of the Aliʻi Wahine landed, ʻŌmaʻokāmau lifted her from the hull of the canoe and carried her to be in the presence of the Aliʻi kāne. There, ʻŌmaʻokāmau placed her on the thighs of Piʻimaiwaʻa.

Some people have perhaps heard of the term “ka paepae kapu o Līloa” [the sacred platform of Līloa], in reference to that which was placed upon the thighs of Piʻimaiwaʻa, so as to form a sitting platform. However, this is not the true “paepae” of Līloa. ʻAhaʻula is the true “paepae o Līloa,” and that was not clearly explained by the author who published Chapter 2 of this Moʻolelo.

As ʻUmi and Piʻikea remained living together as kāne and wahine, back on Maui were the brothers of Piʻikea: Piʻilani, a kāne, was the oldest; then Piʻikea, a wahine; Kihaapiʻilani, a kāne; and Kalaniapiilani, a kāne. There were four of them total, however, Kalaniapiilani had passed, and only three of them now remained.

When Piʻilani, [their father], had passed, the ʻāina of Maui was inherited by Piʻilani, his eldest son. [Dear reading companion, in other versions of this moʻolelo for ʻUmi, as well as in the moʻolelo of Piʻikea’s brother, Kiha-a-Piʻilani, the name of this eldest son of Piʻilani is Lono-a-Piʻi. Editor’s note.] Piʻikea and Kihaapiʻilani lived under him. However, since Piʻikea had gone to Hawaiʻi to live with her kāne, ʻUmi, only her two brothers remained on Maui, and during that time, Piʻilani began to mistreat Kihaapiʻilani, Piʻikea’s most beloved brother.

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About the story...

"He Moolelo no Umi" is one of the earliest known published versions of the story of ʻUmi-a-Liloa, the great chief of Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi. The version of this story that is republished and translated here was first published by Simeon Keliikaapuni and J. H. Z. Kalunaaina in 1862, in the Hawaiian language newspaper called Ka Nupepa Kuokoa. After Keliikaapuni & Kalunaaina published "He Moolelo no Umi," similar versions of this important moʻolelo were published and republished in newspapers by a number of others throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Our kūpuna clearly valued this moʻolelo and the lessons it imbued upon each generation who learned it. We, in the same spirit that inspired our kūpuna to retell this moʻolelo, represent it here, in both its original language and in english, so that our generation and the many generations to come may derive knowledge from the important lessons held within this moʻolelo. And so that we, kamaʻāina of Hāmākua, may find pride in the deep cultural heritage and history of our beloved homelands, the birthplace of this great chief, ʻUmi-a-Līloa.

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